Photo from Rappler

Article by AJ Alarcon

The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors, led by Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang, have charged former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte with crimes against humanity, citing three counts of murder in a charge sheet publicly released Monday night, September 22 (Manila time).

The 15-page filing stated that Duterte was “criminally responsible” for the murder of 76 victims and the attempted murder of two others from his time as Davao City mayor until his presidency.

Niang said the 80-year-old was an “indirect co-perpetrator” of the killings allegedly carried out by others, including police officers.

The first count cited the murder of 19 victims during his mayoral term from 2013 to 2016, with two additional charges linked to the launch of his “war on drugs” campaign. 

The second count involved 14 “high-value targets” killed during his first year as president from 2016 to 2017, while the third count covered the murder and attempted murder of 45 victims during barangay clearing operations nationwide from 2016 to 2018.

The document stated that Duterte and his co-perpetrators shared a “common plan” to neutralize alleged criminals in the Philippines through violent crimes, which became a “state policy” during his presidency.

Prosecutors added that the attacks were widespread and systematic, targeting a significant number of civilians and carried out in a “coordinated fashion.”

Duterte has been under ICC custody in The Hague, Netherlands, since March 2025 for crimes against humanity related to his war on drugs campaign.